chops's Profile

I did Brinkley Farms and Core Sound last year. This is the first I'm hearing of Core Sound not offering in 2015, so that is a disappointment. I will switch back to Walking Fish, which is very similar. I may switch CSA's only because Brinkley is short. They stop service at the end of July, so you miss all the good stuff in August. I will either do Green Button or Papa Spuds. Papa Spuds is intriguing, because I can also get my milk (Maple View) there. I also like the variety and lack of commitment.

Tomo is still at Kurama. He will prepare a Omakase if you ask ahead. I usually tell him when I am coming, how many, and how much per head. I have been reluctant to praise Kurama on here for selfish reasons. It is small and quaint and easily the best sushi in the area. You have to deal with the hibachi part, but I find that part of the charm. They typically have uni and toro. They were the only sushi bar in the area to carry fresh Ankimo (monkfish liver) until the distributor dropped the fresh Ankimo since the demand was low. Kurama decided to carry the frozen Ankimo at the request of customers and it is still delicious. A personal favorite of mine and can be had through the winter. They also are one of the few to have Shoyu Ramen. Many Japanese will come in for noodles with options including Ramen, Udon, and cold Soba. I doubt Kurama will ever be the hot sushi spot based on the location and atmosphere, but if you love Sushi you owe it to yourself to go. It may not match a really good spot in a large city, but it is more than adequate for me.

So, is Chef Carrie taking over the Steakhouse or Bar Virgile? My assumption would be the Steakhouse since Virgile is opening I believe later this week. Although the Steakhouse is not opening until later in the spring, so maybe it is Bar Virgile.

Just got back from the fair. Hill's is there. The only food worth mentioning was the jalapeno stuffed with BBQ, wrapped in bacon, and fried with hushpuppy batter. It was good and comes with sweet potato waffle fries. It is at the got to be NC food truck near the Kerr building.

I reached out to Tim of Professional Edge and had him sharpen my knives and kitchen shears. Tim picked up my knives (I live near Nana's in Durham) and returned them next day with pricing in line with his post. The knives look great and I would recommend him if you live near Durham.

I stopped by Federal today for lunch and things seem to be just fine. It does appear that the kitchen crew is new, but I had the veggie sliders and they were as good as always. More importantly the fries were still the best in town. Please go and support it. Durham and the triangle in general lack bars/restaurants that last long enough to be considered institutions. Here's hoping in 20 years The Fed will still be around.

Angus Barn is about the experience. Sit in the turkey lounge, get the spinach salad and the beef of your choice and soak in the atmosphere. The chocolate chess pie warmed a la mode is tremendous as is the blackberry cobbler. It is an institution and you should go.

Well...at least I got the top floor right. The in house butchering and aging of meats is interesting. So far that makes 3 higher end type restaurants heading downtown. Andrea's, whatever goes in 21c hotel, and Scott Howell's steakhouse. Am I missing anything?

Nanataco will open early next week. They will have $5 Margarita's and various taco meals for $5.95. I was told the first week they will have lamb cheek tacos. I know pork jowl will be a regular taco. I believe the layout will be the same as Fish Shack with extra seating outside. I wish they would have a bar, but that will be the only complaint from me.

I have some family members heading to Boston to the cancer center and they will be stuck in the Hampton Inn Crosstown for a month. I wanted to get them some gift cards for dinner, so they can get out of the hotel and hospital. I need some ideas for casual restaurants near either place. They prefer nice bar and grills or casual italian/american. Thanks for your help.

This is actually a good thing. I loved Piedmont when Drew was running the kitchen, but when he left so did some of the staff and the feeling at the place was not the same. I will miss it tremendously and Andy, Drew, and Abbey diserve lots of credit for getting things rolling in downtown Durham. When at the top of its game Piedmont was the best restaurant for the money in Durham .

There is something fishy about this place. When they opened in Cary there were stories of lines out the door and how authentic everything was. I went to the Cary location about 6 months ago and it was awful. The famous brats were dry as can be and the spatzle was questionable. I don't get the authentic comments. Go try a sausage at Betski's to compare.

Ok. I have been holding out on mentioning Kurama on the various Sushi posts, but since it has been mentioned twice I will give it up. It is in my mind the clear winner when it comes to sushi in Durham/Chapel Hill. I liked having it to myself, so I was pleased to hear that most people go to Shiki Sushi and Sushi Love. The sushi bar area is pretty small, so 20 people and the area is full. I love the Sashimi platters, because they give you mackeral and two kinds of clam. The chefs are top notch and most important to me is the sushi is cut per order. They typically have uni as well. Do not expect exotic rolls or 2 for 1's, but the roll quality is very high. I would be shocked to hear a negative review of the sushi bar. I think you will find it is right there with Waraji and much easier to get in. At least for now.......

I will put in a plug for China Palace. My wife and I love it as long as you stick to the Chinese Menu. The atmosphere is awful, but that is pretty standard . i will have to give Lotus a try............

Chris Cosentino and Aaron Sanchez (Welcome Back Aaron) have a new amazing race esque show where they are in a new city each episode playing against two foodies from the city of choice. Chris has a mention of it in his Offal Good blog. Look for it in August....

suse, the Marriott is the hotel downtown not the Hilton. The Hilton is out on Hillsborough Rd. Saving some confusion....

NXS,You can't go wrong with any of the choices mentioned above. If I had to recommend 5 places to eat to gain an appreciation for Durham I would go with:Magnolia Grill - high end southern/new american food, dont forget dessertPiedmont - The place oozes Durham. Mid range prices, everything made in house (bread, charcuterie, etc)Toast - Fun Panini spot using many local ingredients, inexpensiveVin Rouge - Classic Frech Food, Rue Cler is a good choice as wellFederal - Dive looking bar, extremely good food for the price

Heading to Kentucky to hit a few places on the bourbon trail in March. It looks like I will be staying in Louisville. We will be heading to Makers, Buffalo Trace, and Woodford on the trip. Any tips for good eats along the tour and especially a country ham or bbq spot would be great. We will be staying in downtown Lousiville and I have my eye on "Proof on Main", but other maybe less expensive options would be great.

Also, other smaller distillery options would be great as well.............

Asian choices have come a long way over the last few years, but I still struggle to find not only quality dumplings, but a good selection. I live in Durham, but anywhere in the triangle would be great.

Since it will be work functions I better keep the restaurants pretty simple. Alibi sounds great. One of my co-workers that lives in Detroit mentioned a brewpub near by, so that must be Rochester Mills.